Same old but with snakes
by bhut
Summary: Sequel to the story "Same old but with dinosaurs". As Coulson is trying to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D., forces conspire against him...
1. Chapter 1

**Same old but with Snakes (part 1)**

 _Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to their respective owners._

 _Note: this is a sequel to my previous story,_ Same old but with dinosaurs, _so it is very much an AU._

The new arrivals (and Simmons' friends?) were a partial success. Bobbi Morse was lively, animated and fun to talk to – rather like Lance Hunter, save that she was female, rather than male, as Hunter was (though after the others heard him ranting about his hat collection, the question about his sexual orientation was raised...and largely dropped, for that wasn't the sort of issue that mattered at S.H.I.E.L.D., not unless one's loyalty was affected by it), which wasn't very surprising – Bobbi was his ex-wife, after all, so naturally some traits became shared by the two of them, including some sexual preferences and appetites, for example.

Kara Lynn Palomas was someone else – small, dark, quiet (especially when compared to Bobbi), she had been a field medic before S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, and has largely done her best to bond with Jemma (and to a lesser extent Leo and Mack), seeing how the four of them were the ones frequenting the labs the most. (Yes, all agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. were equal, but some were better scientists, and lab scientists at that, others were better in field, etc.)

So far so good, but not quite the right stuff – aside from the fact that the relationship between the two women was kind of confusing (Bobbi was usually the leader out of the two, but sometimes it seemed that that was so only because Kara Lynn let her), even without both of them being involved with Lance Hunter (not that the man minded, apparently), which was something else.

But the others (or at least Skye) did not have a problem with the two women having an arrangement with Hunter (whatever it was) – they had a problem with Ward. Or rather, they had a problem with the newcomers _not_ having a problem with the ex-agent, or at least with Bobbi (with Kara Lynn it was harder to tell). It was one thing for the team (or the agency itself, now that the old team was something of a nucleus for S.H.I.E.L.D. per se, really) to come and ask information from their captive, it was another for Bobbi (sometimes with Kara Lynn, sometimes without) to go downstairs and to just talk to him of her own volition. Right?

"What am I missing here?" Skye finally decided to ask her S.O. as the two of them had finished one of Skye's training sessions. "I mean, I want to like Morse, it's nice to have more women around, because when Mack and Hunter start talking to Fitz about women it really feels like a boys' club here, but for some reason I can't. It is not about Ward – the man is a douche that no woman can want – but there is something else, something that I cannot put my finger on. Any ideas, oh voice of experience?"

"Don't call me that," May replied, but her heart was not in it, she actually seemed to like the fact that Skye came to her for advice rather than to Coulson for once. "And as for your question...Morse is almost too slick, too friendly with everyone. Of course, so's Hunter – but I don't like him either."

"But?" Skye probed gently the older woman.

"But you're right – it's something that hard to put one's finger on, something in her eyes – in Kara Lynn's eyes too, maybe. They are being insincere, to put it simply – the question is _why_. They rescued Simmons, I give them that, and they are being quite cooperative with the rest of us, yet..." May paused.

"Yes?"

"It feels as if they have other options over us," May confessed.

"...Um...that doesn't exactly sound like a bad thing," Skye confessed.

"It isn't," May continued, more reluctantly than before. "It's just that... listen. S.H.I.E.L.D. does not force others to work for them, either through blackmail or through brainwashing or whatever. However, it does prefer to work with people, who, to put it simply, have nowhere else to go and who have the right mindset because we do put our lives on the line daily, see?"

Skye gave the older woman a look.

"Sorry, silly question," May not-quite-apologized, but went on. "The thing is that sort of lifestyle isn't for everyone, and thus, when other options – other than S.H.I.E.L.D. – come along people, and I mean agents, do become tempted, and sometimes they follow their temptations and leave us."

"And go to Hydra," Skye said with an understandable bitterness.

"Not necessarily," May's own look was full of understanding too. "Isabelle Heartley became a mercenary instead. You remember her, right?"

Skye blinked as she remembered the female mercenary leader who had perished during the initial mess with the obelisk and the Gifted agent of Hydra, Carl Creel. "She'd been an agent?"

"Yes, and then S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed and she became a full-time mercenary instead," May nodded. "Around the time with the obelisk Coulson was trying to persuade her to return to us, but the talk wasn't really going anywhere, and then she died..." May trailed away, as the demise of Isabelle and most of her team (save for Lance) had been quite ghastly, even by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s standards. "Anyways, the odds are that Morse and Palomas are like that, especially since they're friends with Hunter, who _is_ a mercenary, remember?"

"So...that's a bad thing or not a bad thing? Because I'm confused now," Skye admitted.

"We need to figure out who they're working for, or if they're independent contractors, what is their game, whatever else," May confessed. "Ward is on it, so they're probably Hydra, but we don't have exact proof yet, plus they did rescue Jemma, so we feel that they deserve to have a chance to come clean."

Skye held her tongue. She loved her family, she really did, but after Ward she could not help but feel giving some people a chance was just an extra opening for them to hurt you, but who cared about him? He made his bed; he could now lie in it, but as for Bobbi and Kara Lynn? They will be given their chance...eventually, Skye guessed. For now, it was back to training, and judging by how determined Melinda May was looking, Skye was in for some an extra long, or extra-hard, training session.

(Actually, it was both).

/

While these events were unfolding up above, down below, (in vault D), something else was happening.

"And how are we feeling today?" Trip asked Ward as the latter looked away from his book (about dinosaurs, of all things). "Talkative?"

Ward shrugged and looked pointedly at Trip.

"I guess not," Trip shrugged in disappointment that was partly mocking – but only partly. "So much for you being actually helpful. Then again, I did want to talk to you about your new friends, Morse and Palomas."

Grant pointedly looked away from the other man, turning back onto his book and tapping an odd sounding rhythm with his fingers on the floor.

"...Aha," Trip said – thoughtfully, rather than bitterly, after a surprisingly intense pause. "That's the way it goes?"

"Yes," Grant looked the other man straight in the eye. "This is the way it goes now."

"Well, thank you for your time," Trip spoke – in a surprisingly non-bitter tone of voice for a man who had just wasted his time – apparently – for nothing. "I'll see you around – or not."

And he was gone, going straight out of the vault and towards Coulson's office, walking very intently. In fact, his intent was so intense, that he failed to see Kara Lynn Palomas eyeing him very thoughtfully and whispering something into Jemma's ear – and it was not just some sweet nothings, if Jemma's face – rather pale and rigid – was something to go by...

 _TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Same old but with Snakes (part 2)**

 _Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to their respective owners._

 _Note: this is a sequel to my previous story,_ Same old but with dinosaurs, _so it is very much an AU._

It was later that night. Well, technically, it was just later, for earlier events took place during the day, but for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (though not only them), the regular work period could take place for any time of the day, for any amount of time, so for them days and nights often blurred together into one single block of time.

Technically speaking, Grant Ward was not agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, but old training died hard, and Ward had no intention of letting it go, so when the barrier of his vault suddenly shuddered and died, he instantly got onto his feet, cautiously looked around and moved up and out –up the stairs and out the door.

"We were wondering if you were going to make the first move yourself," Bobbi Morse smirked – a look that did not quite reach her eyes – as she stood there, waiting alongside Kara Lynn... and Simmons. The latter, it should be mentioned, was just standing there, with an odd, glazed look in her eyes, almost like a zombie's. "Long time no see, again, eh Ward?"

"And hello to you too, Palomas," Ward nodded, ignoring Morse, Simmons, and other people who were also there – but then again, they did have that look of Hydra/S.H.I.E.L.D./others' cannon fodder: simple, interchangeable, mercenaries without personalities of their own. "I did not expect to see you again – not after the Amazon misadventure. Why are you here?"

"Why should I not be here?" Kara Lynn raised one of the eyebrows on her face. She was not really a homely woman, (though compared to the two blondes she was clearly the odd one out here), but the smile on her face was something else. Maybe it was intended to be friendly, but the overall effect was anything but. "After all, we're on the same side, are we not?"

"Palomas," Ward did not back down. "I know you. You are _not_ Hydra – you are Snake Society. Garrett had told me that personally – hence why I took you down the last time we fought, and I know you – I know that you're Gifted, that you're a kenjutsu fighter of some sort, and that you did not like being defeated by an ordinary person, especially when I guess you've been promised that you'll win this one face down. So, again, I ask you – why are you here?"

"Well, maybe I'm working for Hydra now," Kara Lynn still said cheerfully, though the look in her eyes was anything but. "I mean, I'm sure that Dr. Whitehall would be very happy to have you back and all – Bakshi's rumored to have become somewhat rough around the edges. But maybe we can come to an agreement instead?"

"I'm listening," Ward nodded evenly.

"You help us build Cybertek back once more, and we'll keep you away from Hydra," Kara Lynn smirked, even as she thrust her hand forwards for a handshake, perhaps. "Deal?"

"It's all about Cybertek?" Ward stared, clearly incredulous. "I did not see this one coming. Why?"

"Never mind why," Kara Lynn waved dismissively. "You work with us, or I guess it's back to Hydra for you." She paused and looked thoughtfully at the man. "Of course, maybe you don't mind going back there – for all we know all of that hype 'I'm not loyal to Hydra, I was loyal to Garrett' was just that – hype. In that case...never mind. Well?"

"How about I just sign the ownership of Cybertek to you and never see you again?" Grant said slowly. "Would you like that better?"

"Now that _does_ sound tempting," Palomas agreed, "but...no. I think we would like to work with you first, and then, if it doesn't work-out, well..."

"I see," Ward nodded and turned his attention to Jemma. "Dr. Simmons, this is agent Ward. Are you ready to comply?"

"Compliance will be rewarded," Jemma nodded, her voice still blank and posture stiff and wooden.

"Good. Now, here are the mercenaries who have infiltrated Hydra for their own gain," Ward said quickly as he pointed at the men in question. "Please start taking them down."

Jemma whirled around, raising up her gun, (which was an ICER, BTW), and began to fire at them surprisingly quickly. On the other hand, Bobbi pulled out her ecrima sticks and charged at her and Grant equally quickly, so it was still anyone's guess as to how it could've went, if the rest of the team hadn't arrived and began to turn the tide – including May, promptly went Cavalry onto Kara Lynn...who matched her. As the two fought, knives against sickles of some sort (yes, May was amazing like that too), Ward managed to grab Morse in a bear hug and squeeze her into submissiveness, (ignoring the headbutts and kicks that the woman was still giving him), while Fitz had tackled his girlfriend down.

And then it was over. Only – not, as Kara Lynn had bent her body in a way that a human body just could not bend and actually wrapped herself around Melinda like some sort of a snake would.

"Drop the weapons now," the Latino woman hissed (even though her tongue was not really forked). She got shot in the head instead, albeit with ICERs, and dropped herself.

"Nice shooting," Ward said quietly to Skye. "And from the front, too."

Skye said nothing. "Right," Coulson spoke up instead. "Trip, Mack, get Palomas and Morse into Vault D, since they were so busy regarding it. Fitz-"

"Simmons was just following commands that Whitehall had installed into her," Ward spoke up, still quietly. "She needs to be deprogrammed, nothing more. Fitz?"

"On it!" Fitz did not even appear to care that it was _Ward_ with whom he was talking, he just grabbed Jemma and half-dragged half-carried her to the labs, ignoring everyone else.

"To which vault do I go _now_?" Grant turned and faced Coulson.

"Actually, we're going to have something of a meeting, so you're coming with us," Coulson replied in a voice that brooked no argument.

 _TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 _Disclaimer: see previous chapters._

Coulson's office in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new HQ was actually bigger – proportionally – than its counterpart that belonged to Nick Fury, but, conversely, it was not as highly advanced. Of course, various factors played roles here, but honestly, Grant did not really care about them – not now.

"So," Coulson said simply, as he sat down (so did Grant – honestly, after the last fight, he did not really seek Coulson's permission to do anything), "what was the deal with Cybertek?"

"Cybertek was intended to be one of the daughter companies of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Grant matched the older man tone for tone. "It was going to be a front, as well as a supplier of HR – read: mercenaries for u – S.H.I.E.L.D. Garrett told me that he had squared it with Fury, that he was going to run it because he was retiring from active duty, and – that's it, really. When I left for my mission in Paris I assumed nothing else."

"...I see," Coulson stared at Ward. "And you believed him – never mind. Of course you believed him."

"Still, after the initial run-in with the Centipede people you could've told us – if you'd honestly cared about us," Skye, who had joined the pair in Coulson's office, spoke up for the first time, sounding honestly bitter about it.

"I didn't know about the formula – I knew that John was dying, I knew that he was going to talk to you about this, but the two of you were _friends_ – I never imagined John would go this far," Grant shook his head. "He told me that he _wasn't_ Hydra – and I believed him." A pause. "And he was telling the truth – the rub, and I have only just begun to understand it, is that he wasn't loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. either; he wasn't loyal to anyone." Another pause. "And I was loyal to _him_ , and I have followed him, and thus have lost everyone and everything and became just like him – a fraud, so your actions towards me are justified, too."

"A pretty speech," Coulson's face was emotionless. "Pity that you didn't understand it when you killed Koenig and Hand for Garrett."

"Whereas if I'd killed John for Victoria I would probably be somewhere partway to your forgiveness," Grant shot back. "Or maybe I would be working for _her_ , but that would still be different."

"Yes, it would be," Coulson reluctantly admitted. "Skye, what did you get on your end about Cybertek?"

"...Ward is speaking the truth, here," Skye admitted, sounding more petulant than bitter now. "Cybertek _was_ going to be a legitimate business – Ward would've been in charge of personnel, Raina – of sciences and Garrett – of Cybertek overall... and now Ward is staring at me in a very strange way. What gives, Ward?"

"He lied," came the quiet reply. "Garrett told me that I wouldn't have to join him at Cybertek and he lied. Why?"

"I have no idea – you would've followed him into Cybertek all the same," Coulson said, in a carefully controlled voice.

"...No I wouldn't. He promised me," Grant's reply was full of desperation. "Oh. Another lie. From him. I see." And he promptly went into what was basically a shutdown mode.

"Yes, being lied to hurts, doesn't it, Robot?" Skye spoke in a not very sympathetic voice to her former friend. (And perhaps something more, but who knows?)

There was no reply.

"Oy! Robot!" Skye moved closer and was rewarded with a look – and a request.

"Can you please keep your distance?" was the request. "I don't honestly want anyone in my personal space right now."

"...Okay," Skye pointedly sat down away from Ward, but not too far. "Satisfied."

The reply was muted, to say the least, and then – silence, broken, ironically, by May.

"Palomas and her crew are in the Vault," she said, even as she joined the other three – Ward and Skye sitting before Coulson staring at nothing in general, and Coulson opposite to them, clearly unsure how to fill the silence. May's appearance helped him to do just that.

"So how are you?" he asked her.

"Phil, she beat me. I knew what I was up against, I came prepared and gave Palomas everything – and she still got the best of me," May sounded even sourer than her usual self did. "Skye – thank you for the shot. Ward – I do not know if we can trust you anymore, but thank you for that too. You've trained Skye well." A pause. "Why? You were no friend of ours-"

"I am loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. – or was, at any rate. I was loyal to Garrett – because he gave me everything, and because at first I thought that he was loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. too. My personal feelings were irrelevant, a weakness. I was told to train Skye and train her I did, despite my personal misgivings on that matter," Ward told May without blinking. "And also? If you ever will be fighting me again, go for the kidneys. Hitting them is a more sure proof way of knocking me out than going for the head."

"Acknowledged," May nodded, before turning to Coulson. "So, why are you so quiet?"

"Because Ward's telling the truth – Garrett was one of us, when we were dealing with him, we were fighting one of ours gone rogue, rather than Hydra," Coulson replied. "Hydra just piggybacked onto John's scheme to become immortal. With this in mind, even his defeat isn't something to be proud about." A pause. "Speaking of Hydra-"

"Mack, Trip and the others put Palomas and her crew into the Vault," May repeated her earlier statement, "while Fitz is getting Simmons de-brainwashed." She looked askance at Ward. "Any helpful tips here?"

"I never worked for Hydra," Grant shook his head. "The only time I did was on my seventh mission, which was a part of S.H.I.E.L.D-WSC team effort in Asia. I was intended to be a part of a crew that handled things in Siberia. They were actually Hydra saboteurs and were going to sabotage the whole team effort – or at least in Siberia. Their methods were typical, I did not like them – they reminded me too much of how my biological family behaves towards other people – and stood up. They told me to zip it, because I was working for Garrett and had to pay up for his behalf. I told them that I'll make my own peace with Garrett – and that's when things went FUBAR, for the first ever general-secretary of the USSR showed up."

"Say who now?" Skye did a double take, and not just her.

"The first ever general-secretary of the USSR," Ward repeated without backing down. "USSR itself might be officially defunct, but its founder and the first ever general-secretary is livelier than most people who _are_ living. Not a big man, no more so than Coulson, balding, wears a cap, has a beard – no horns or hooves, claws, tail or anything, until you look into his eyes, see his shadow, and realize what is wrong with this picture...and then things begin to fall apart, or rather – the saboteurs did. Me – I got spared because I wasn't Hydra or an enemy of Russia; the Russians don't like anyone, not really, but after WWII they don't like Hydra especially." A pause. "After that mission, after the debriefing, I told Garrett that I didn't care if he was Hydra – I would still be loyal to him, but I wouldn't be Hydra, and he said no problem, and I believed him, and that was the end of that."

"...The first ever general-secretary of the USSR? Really?" Coulson finally spoke up.

"Yes sir. It is all very occult. I don't believe in the occult, but," Ward shrugged. "Not one of my best missions, that one was."

As if on cue, Fitz and Simmons walked in.

"You really shouldn't be up," Leo was telling his significant other. (Well, at least in theory). "Who knows what they have done-"

"I don't know what they have done," Jemma shot back. "But, I just need to apologize, to explain-"

"You don't need to do any of that," Coulson said gently. "You were just brainwashed by Hydra-"

"Yes sir, I remember that," Simmons nodded. "I remember that now. Whitehall and his minions just put me into that machine and told me that it was just a precaution for the good doctor – nothing more. And then, during the nights, Palomas would latch onto that, and make me into a different person! The two of us had sex! And I liked it! And I had sex with Bakshi! I liked it too! That wasn't me, but I still liked it!"

There was a pause, filled by Simmons moving to one of the chairs and just sitting there. "I am still me!" the small woman yelled desperately. "I'm still loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. I just like having sex! Or not! I don't know!"

"That's ok," Skye moved to the side of her friend. "I like having a sex too – and don't give me that look, everybody. Yes, the relationship with Miles was a mistake, but still – I was a hacker, I lived in a van, you knew that I wasn't exactly a virgin."

"Raina claims to be," Fitz spoke up. "Trip tried to put his moves on her when it'd been his turn to watch her, and she said that she was saving herself for marriage – first the wedding, than the rest."

"Fitz, you're not being very helpful," Skye said as she and Simmons (and May probably too) were glaring at the short man. "Or supportive to Jemma, too."

"Sorry," Fitz had belatedly realized that too. "What, uh, no – I mean, now what?"

"Now," Coulson paused. "What time is it, people?"

"Around nine in the morning," Grant pointed out, showing the sunrise outside – in all of the excitement the entire night had passed by. "Do you want to continue?"

There was a pause. In S.H.I.E.L.D., agents keep irregular hours, and it is not unusual for them to keep all night long and continue for the rest of the day; sadly, their latest run-in with Palomas and her team was not even anything extraordinary by chronological standards.

"Let's not, and take the next few hours to sleep," Coulson finally made a decision. "May, get Trip and have him retrieve Raina – I want this Cybertek mess put to rest once and for all. Ward..." he paused. "I don't know if we can trust you, but...I think your heart is in the right place, and I think we know where we stand with you, at least for the moment. Thus, right now, you are on probation – you know what that entails. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Ward nodded, his expression firmly controlled.

"Good! Everyone dismissed!"

And then the sun came out and it was a brand new day.

End.


End file.
